KAMPALA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Refugee agency on Saturday urged Uganda to protect refugees after a two-year-old South Sudanese child was killed in the northern part of the country.
A statement from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued here said law enforcement authorities in Uganda must ensure protection of refugees in refugee settlements.
The child, whose body was found on March 29, was killed in the Palabek refugee settlement, Lamwo district. The motive remains unclear.
"This is a terrible tragedy and there is no justification for such a senseless act of barbarism," the UNHCR representative in Uganda, Joel Boutroue, said.
Uganda currently hosts the highest number of refugees in its history, receiving simultaneous emergency influxes from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi.
The number of South Sudanese refugees in Uganda has exceeded one million, according to UNHCR figures.
